★★★★★
The driver-guide had the history and the geology both, kept it light the whole way down, and had a playlist to match the landscape.
Kristin T. · Couple · September 2025
Cliffs of Moher & the Burren Tour from Galway
Day trip to County ClareCliffs ticket includedMax 61 travellers
Eight and a quarter hours south from Merchants Road, with the €8 gate ticket already paid and ninety minutes to spend on the cliff top. It is the cheapest fare from Galway that carries the admission, and the road there is half the day: the Burren, a portal tomb and a tower house on the bay.
What this day actually gives you
Ninety minutes on the cliff top
Long enough for O'Brien's Tower, the exhibition and a stretch of the path.
The gate ticket already paid
The Cliffs of Moher entrance fee is named in the fare, so nothing is owed at the door.
Twenty minutes at Poulnabrone Dolmen
A portal tomb standing alone on the limestone, and the only stop of its kind.
Fifteen minutes at Dunguaire Castle
A tower house on the water at Kinvara, photographed from the shore.
Forty minutes in Doolin
Time to eat, and the village the ferries leave from.
A driver who talks the whole way
Live commentary on board, and the road is narrow enough that you will be glad.
This is the straightest answer to the biggest question anyone asks in Galway. You leave Merchants Road mid-morning, cross Galway Bay into County Clare, and spend the middle of the day at the most-visited natural site in the country with the ticket already in your fare.
What raises it above a transfer is the road. The Burren is a limestone pavement that looks like nothing else in Ireland, and the coach stops in it twice rather than driving through. Poulnabrone Dolmen has stood on that pavement for thousands of years and takes twenty minutes to walk out to. Dunguaire Castle sits on the water at Kinvara and takes fifteen.
At the cliffs you get ninety minutes, which is close to the two hours the Visitor Experience itself recommends. That buys you the tower, the underground exhibition and a walk along the paved path in one direction. The coach caps at sixty-one travellers, so this is a full-size coach rather than a minibus, and the fare reflects that.
Your day, hour by hour
- Check in on Merchants Road, Galway
- Across the limestone of the Burren
- Poulnabrone Dolmen, 20 minutes
- Dunguaire Castle, 15 minutes
- Doolin village, 40 minutes
- Cliffs of Moher, 1 hour 30 minutes
- Check in by 9:40am. The office is on Merchants Road beside Kinlay Hostel; traffic in the city is heavier than it looks.
- Across the Burren. An hour and a half south through Kinvara and Ballyvaughan, with commentary the whole way.
- Poulnabrone Dolmen, twenty minutes. Out onto the pavement and back.
- Dunguaire Castle, fifteen minutes. On the shore at Kinvara.
- Doolin, forty minutes. Lunch, and the pier the island ferries use.
- The Cliffs of Moher, ninety minutes. Entry included; O'Brien's Tower and the paved path.
- Back in Galway by evening. Eight and a quarter hours door to door.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
You have one day and want the cliffs without also paying at the gate. You would rather somebody else drove the road. You want the Burren as well as the cliffs, and you are happy on a full-size coach with commentary.
Book something else if
You want to walk the cliff path rather than stand on the platform — the guided hike gives four hours out there in a group of eight. If you would rather see the wall from the water, or add an island, the Aran Islands tours from Galway put a ferry and a cruise into the same road.
What the fare covers
In the fare
- Professional Local Driver/Guide
- Cliffs of Moher Entrance Fee
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Live commentary on board
Not in the fare
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Pickup from all locations ( except main departure point )
Where you check in
The Galway Tour Company office sits on Merchants Road, beside Kinlay Hostel, about three hundred metres from Eyre Square. Check in by 9:40am at the latest — the operator's own note asks for extra travel time because city traffic is heavy at that hour. Paid public parking is on Merchants Road itself, and the listing names Q-Park Eyre Square and Q-Park Hynes Yard as the nearest multi-storeys.
There is no hotel pick-up on this one. The exclusions say so plainly: pickup from anywhere but the main departure point is not part of the fare.
Know before you go
- It runs in any weather. Dress for the day you get rather than the one you booked; nothing about this route is cancelled by rain.
- It is not wheelchair accessible. The coach carries a no-wheelchair flag; infants must sit on laps.
- Moderate fitness is asked for. The cliff-top paths are paved but exposed and there is walking at every stop.
- Bring a windproof layer. Mean wind on this coast sits near nine knots all year and the cliff top is open.
- Food is not in the fare. Doolin is the eating stop, and forty minutes is enough if you know that before you arrive.
- Seats are not assigned. Arriving early gets you the window you want on a full coach.
What travellers said about this day
★★★★★
Every stop was a chance to stretch our legs. Richie gave us the history of Galway with a good deal of humour, and the weather turned out better than the forecast.
Christopher S. · Family · August 2026
★★★★☆
I had read about a wonderful driver-guide and ours muttered. He was a nice enough man and clearly trying, but I would rather have had a driver and a separate guide.
Vicky H. · Solo traveller · August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cliffs of Moher entrance fee really included?
Yes. The listing names the Cliffs of Moher entrance fee in its inclusions, so there is nothing to pay at the gate. That covers parking, the exhibition, the paved paths and O'Brien's Tower.
How long do I actually get at the cliffs?
Ninety minutes. The Visitor Experience recommends about two hours, so this is close to it — long enough for the tower, the exhibition and a walk along the path in one direction.
Does it pick up from my hotel?
No. It leaves from the office on Merchants Road and the exclusions rule out pick-up anywhere else. If a door-to-door start matters, the Connemara day trip offers free hotel collection on 24 hours' notice.
What happens if the weather is bad?
The day runs. This is a road day with no boat in it, so wind and rain do not cancel it; the listing asks you to dress accordingly. Free cancellation still applies up to 24 hours ahead.
Is lunch included?
No. Food and drinks are named in the exclusions, and Doolin is the eating stop at forty minutes.
How big is the group?
The listing puts a maximum of 61 travellers on this tour, so it is a full-size coach. If you want a group of eight, the guided cliff-path walk is the small-group option.
Other ways to spend the day
The other two featured days go elsewhere: one north-west into Connemara for Kylemore Abbey, and one that stays in the city. Add a ferry and you are in the Aran Islands instead.
Book the Cliffs of Moher with the ticket in the fare
Eight and a quarter hours, ninety minutes on the cliff top and the €8 gate admission already paid. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability